British PR association to probe Bell Pottinger following
Gupta leaks

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has written to the association to lodge formal complaints against the PR company.

FILE: A screengrab of the protected British public relations firm Bell Pottinger Twitter page. Picture: Twitter.

JOHANNESBURG – The British-based Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA) has confirmed it will begin a formal process to investigate Bell Pottinger, a company implicated in the Gupta emails leaks

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has written to the association to lodge formal complaints against the PR company.

The party says the firm should be investigated on allegations that they promoted racial hatred in South Africa.

In a short statement published on their website, the PRCA’s Francis Ingham says the body has notified Bell Pottinger on its intentions to probe allegations that the company has fermented racial divisions in South Africa.

Leaked emails show how senior advisor at the company Nick Lamber referred to these comments made by the African National Congress Youth League’s President Collin Maine: “Those who wanted to disrupt President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation Address should prepare themselves for civil war,” as key moments.

In the letter, the DA had urged the association to fully investigate its member and that the commotion of racial divisions in South Africa could not be tolerated.

The investigations come amid probes by the Hawks to determine the authenticity of the emails which implicate several Cabinet ministers and high-ranking government officials into dubious dealings with the controversial Gupta family.